1950 Doubled Die Obverse DDO-004

Description

Cataloged by VarietyVista on a proof striking, the 1950 Franklin Half Dollar DDO-004 presents light spread on LIBERTY, the date, and IN GOD WE TRUST — three key obverse inscription areas on John R. Sinnock's portrait of Benjamin Franklin. The light intensity requires magnification to resolve the secondary contours, but the three affected areas provide multiple diagnostic checkpoints across the obverse. Die markers UVC-030 and DMR-006 identify the working die across three fully documented stages: Stage A in early die state (unconfirmed), Stage B with both obverse and reverse in mid-die state, and Stage C with both obverse and reverse in late die state — notably, Stage C is confirmed rather than the tentative designation seen on many VarietyVista entries. The reverse is classified as Reverse Die Variety RDV-001b, a sub-variant of the baseline reverse die type. As a proof issue, this coin was struck on specially prepared polished planchets with polished dies at the Philadelphia Mint in 90% silver at 12.5 grams. The Franklin Half Dollar series ran from 1948 to 1963, and the 1950 date falls early in production. Examine LIBERTY, the date, and IN GOD WE TRUST for the light spread, noting that Stage C specimens will show additional late-die-state wear characteristics on both obverse and reverse.

Die Markers

• UVC-030
• DMR-006
• Stage A:
• EDS (unconfirmed)
• Stage B:
• Obverse and Reverse are MDS
• Stage C:
• Obverse and Reverse are LDS

Attribution History

• Discovered by Timothy Wissert
• Expert attribution by VarietyVista

External References